Generally, microgyroscopes are used for determining a rotating movement around an axis in an x-, y-, z-system of coordinates. Therefore, to determine the rotating movements of the system around each one of the three axes, three such microgyroscopes are needed. It is costly and time consuming to control them and evaluate the data.
So a three-dimensional microgyroscope in which rotations in all three axes can be set can be created, D. Wood et al. suggested in their 1996 article “A Monolithic Silicone Gyroscope Capable of Sensing about Three Axes Simultaneously” to create a gyroscope that would have ring-shaped oscillating masses arranged around a central anchor, capable of sensing tilting and rotating movements owing to the Coriolis forces that would occur. The disadvantage is that both the production of such a sensor and the driving of the masses that move are difficult or impossible. The designs of D. Wood et al. therefore remain merely theoretical.
In the article “Design and Dynamics of an Innovative Microgyroscope against Coupling Effects” authored by Nan-Chyuan Tsai, a 3-D gyroscope is also suggested, but its disadvantage is that there is an inner disk and an outer ring as well as four moving masses. The deflections, especially those of the inner disk, can only be determined with difficulty.